(Web Desk) - Two-time World Cup winner for India Yusuf Pathan will contest Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal’s Baharampur constituency declared Trinamool Congress (TMC) National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday.
Pathan now becomes the third player from the 2011 World Cup-winning team to join politics.
Pathan’s teammates from the 2011 World Gautam Gambhir and Harbhajan Singh have also joined politics.
Yusuf’s younger brother Irfan took to X (Formerly known as Twitter) to wish him. “Your patience, kindness, help to the needy, and service to people even without an official position can be easily noticed.
I am confident that once you step into a political role, you will truly make a difference in the daily lives of people.” he would write.
The Baroda-based cricketer will compete against Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury. However, Congress is yet to name candidates for Bengal but Mr Chowdhury is expected to recontest the Lok Sabha seat which represented five times before.
“The Indian National Congress has repeatedly declared its desire to have a respectable seat-sharing agreement with the TMC in West Bengal.” senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said.
“The Indian National Congress has always maintained that such an agreement has to be finalized through negotiations and not by unilateral announcements.
The Indian National Congress has always wanted the INDIA group to fight the BJP together,” he added.